Five Times Arthur Was Kind To Merlin
by NarglesandNifflers
Summary: Five one shots, each showing a time Arthur was kind to Merlin without him knowing.
1. Chapter One

**A/N: So, this is basically going to be five one shots, none of which will be very long. I don't need to explain what they will be about – the title says it all!**

"Merlin, where's my dinner?" Arthur snapped, hungry and tired. "Have you forgotten that I haven't eaten yet?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I don't see how I could have – you've been ranting about it for the last hour."

"Exactly!" Arthur exclaimed. "Hurry up and get it!"

"Are you sure you want it, though?" said Merlin, a smile beginning to spread across his face. "I mean, it won't hurt to go without it for one night…"

"Merlin, if this is another reference to my weight, I don't want to hear about it," said Arthur in the most threatening voice he could muster.

Merlin gave an exaggerated sigh and left the room, muttering words under his breath that made Arthur rather thankful that he couldn't hear him. Or at least, thankful for Merlin's sake.

As his manservant entered the chambers once more, this time carrying a bowl of soup, Arthur threw down his pen from where he had been writing a long, dull report and made his way over to the dinner table, walking as fast as he could without looking _too_ eager. He wasn't in the mood for any more jokes about him being 'fat.'

He heard Merlin snigger as he sat down and shot him a glare. "Sorry, sorry!" Merlin protested. "I've just never seen someone so eager to have something to eat."

"Well, seeing as _someone_ kept me waiting-" Arthur began, reminding himself to brush up on his acting skills.

"Oh?" said Merlin politely. "Who was this rude person?"

"You really are pathetic," Arthur muttered as Merlin handed him the bowl of soup. As Arthur took it from him, a long, red scratch on Merlin's wrist caught his eye.

"Where did you get that from?" he asked in surprise.

Merlin's cheeks coloured slightly as he shook his sleeve down to try and hide the mark.

"Last night, I accidently cut myself when I was helping Gaius with something," he said. "It's fine, Gaius said it will heal soon."

Arthur nodded, however, he found it hard to take his eyes off Merlin's wrist now that he was looking at it properly. It was so _bony._ Probably about half the size of his, Arthur reflected, and it looked as though it could snap at any time. Swallowing hard, he tried to suppress the feeling of horror as his eyes travelled over Merlin's wrist, recalling the time that Merlin's shoulder had been injured during a hunting trip and Arthur had seen him take his shirt off to tend to it. The image of how thin and bony Merlin had looked then flashed before Arthur's eyes, making him feel slightly nauseous.

It was only when Merlin coughed that Arthur realised how ridiculous he must look, sitting completely still and staring fixedly at Merlin's wrist. With a huge effort, he tore his gaze down to his soup, although his appetite seemed to have vanished as the image of Merlin, half starved, rushed through Arthur's mind. He swallowed hard and put the spoon down.

"Actually, Merlin?"

Merlin glanced round, a weary expression on his face. "What now?"

"I'm not very hungry," said Arthur, beckoning him over. "Would, err, would you like to have some of the soup?"

Merlin laughed. "Nice one Arthur."

"No," said Arthur in bewilderment. "I wasn't joking. I'm not hungry anymore, so you might as well have my dinner – who else will eat it if you don't?"

Merlin shook his head. "You're really starting to worry me, Arthur. You were starving a few minutes ago – now you've suddenly lost your appetite? I know how much you like your food-"

"Look, Merlin," Arthur interrupted, "I'm not hungry. I am offering this soup to you because I don't want it." He glared at his manservant, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Calm down," said Merlin in alarm. He took a hesitant step towards Arthur, eyeing him suspiciously. "I'll…have it if you really don't want it." Arthur felt himself smile.

"Brilliant – you can have this and I'll go and continue with that report." He headed back over to his desk, but couldn't get rid of the smile as he heard the spoon clinking against the bowl, occasionally glancing behind him to where Merlin was gulping the soup down as fast as he could, as though he hadn't eaten in ages.

_He probably hadn't,_ Arthur reminded himself with a hint of sadness.

By the time Merlin had left Arthur's chambers, he was already running through his mind all the possible ways to make sure Merlin ate more. After all, he didn't want his manservant, or more importantly best friend, to end up ill.

_It will work,_ Arthur decided. _I'll just have to be discreet._

After all, he didn't want Merlin to know that he _cared_ about him!


	2. Chapter Two

Arthur threw down his pen in irritation. "Merlin, will you shut up!?"

Merlin glanced round, surprise written over his face. "What have I done wrong now? I'm only making your bed, or would _you_ prefer to do it?"

"I'm trying to work on this report," said Arthur through gritted teeth, gesturing at the report on his desk. "Will you _please_ have some respect for the fact that I actually want this to turn out well-"

"It won't!" said Merlin brightly. "You're writing it. You need to be clever to-"

"Merlin, I am dangerously close to throwing this pen at you," Arthur snarled.

Merlin let out an exaggerated gasp. "Now I'm scared!"

Arthur promptly threw the pen at his servant, and felt a rush of satisfaction when it hit him on the nose. "Think yourself lucky, Merlin," he warned him as Merlin bent down to pick up the pen. "If any other servant had talked to me like that, they would be thrown straight into the stocks."

Merlin beamed as he brought the pen over to Arthur. "So, basically you're saying that I'm special."

"You're ridiculous," said Arthur firmly.

Merlin rolled his eyes as he handed Arthur back his pen. "You still haven't told me how I was annoying you."

Arthur looked at him in disbelief. "You don't know why I was angry with you? Honestly Merlin, it's not _that_ hard to work out! You kept sniffing when I was trying to work, which is _very_ distracting-"

"That's because I have a cold!" Merlin interrupted. "That isn't exactly my fault, is it? It's freezing outside."

"Well, you should wear warmer clothes," said Arthur unsympathetically. "That's what I do when it's cold, it's what everyone does. Well, everyone except for you obviously."

Merlin sighed. "You really don't have a clue, do you? You're the King, you can afford new, warm clothes easily, but I'm a servant – I hardly have anything to wear during the winter."

Arthur looked at him, eyeing his threadbare brown jacket and thin neckerchief, and realised that Merlin had a point.

"Well, I've got to get on," he heard Merlin say, dragging him out of his thoughts. "Don't want to get another pen thrown at me by the King of the Prats."

Arthur barely registered the insult. A plan was slowly forming in his mind as he watched Merlin walk away.

Xxx

"Morning, Arthur!" said Merlin two days later, throwing open the curtains and grinning infuriatingly as Arthur pulled the pillow over his head, groaning as he anticipated the day ahead.

"Rise and shine!" said Merlin brightly.

Arthur sat up slowly and glared at Merlin. "Why do you have to be so cheerful all the time?" he grumbled as he left his warm bed and headed over to his wardrobe.

Merlin shrugged. "I'm just a happy person, I guess. I mean, it's better to be happy than to complain all the time like you do-" He stopped talking and sneezed loudly, wiping his nose on his neckerchief, much to Arthur's disgust.

"What?" he protested when he saw the King expression. "I don't have a handkerchief with me."

Arthur pulled the jacket that he had selected last night out of the wardrobe. "That reminds me Merlin, do you know anyone who might want this?" He held the jacket up. "Only it's one of my older ones, and it's not in very good condition compared with all my other clothes."

Arthur could see the fleeting expression of longing on Merlin's face, but it was quickly masked with a nonchalant look. "I don't know."

"Well, you could have it if you want," said Arthur with a shrug. "I mean, I don't need it, and if you can't think of anyone else who will have it…"

Merlin stared at him. "Really? Arthur, are you joking?"

Arthur shook his head. "I might as well give it to you. What else can I do with it?" He threw the jacket across the room at Merlin. "Here, catch."

Merlin caught it, an expression of wonder on his face. "Thank you."

Arthur shrugged casually, although he felt a warm glow of contentment as he watched Merlin carefully put the jacket on, despite the fact that he was already wearing one. The smile on Merlin's face seemed to be even bigger than usual for the rest of the day, and from then on, he would always wear the jacket, which Arthur found he didn't regret giving to him in the slightest.

**A/N: Thanks a lot for the reviews for the first chapter – I didn't expect people to like it! Thank you :)**


	3. Chapter Three

"You look awful," said Arthur bluntly.

Merlin smiled rather weakly. "Thanks."

"No, seriously, you look exhausted!" Arthur insisted.

Merlin shrugged. "I know. I didn't get much sleep last night. You're looking as ugly as usual, by the way," he added.

Arthur ignored the insult. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

"I was just thinking…" Merlin's voice trailed off.

"About what?" said Arthur impatiently.

"Well, home and…and all that," said Merlin, who clearly didn't want to say the word, 'mum' in fear of being called a mummy's boy, or any of the other names Arthur had called him in the past. "But I'm fine now."

Arthur nodded and let the subject drop. However, he didn't forget about it, and a few days later he came up with an plan that he didn't hesitate putting into action.

"George?" he called as he spotted the boy in the courtyard, and the servant turned to look at him, an expression of shock and awe on his face. Arthur winced inwardly. Was he _really_ willing to be stuck with George for two long weeks, all because of his idiotic manservant?

_Yes,_ Arthur decided.

"George, Merlin is going to be going away for a couple of weeks, so you will be serving me during that time." Arthur's tone left no room for arguments, not that George would have objected anyway.

"Of course, sire!" George looked as though Christmas had come early.

Arthur resisted the urge to groan, and nodded curtly. "Very good." He turned away to go and find Merlin, uncomfortably aware of George's eyes on the back of his head as he made his way across the courtyard, rolling his eyes as he pictured the doting look that he imagined would currently be on George's face.

"Merlin!" he called on entering the castle, catching sight of his manservant hurrying down the corridor. "Come with me – I need to have a word with you."

Merlin looked at him, his blue eyes alarmed. "Why? What have I done?"

Arthur ignored him and began making his way down the corridor in the direction of his chambers. He heard Merlin sigh heavily behind him, before trudging after him.

"Keep up, Merlin!" Arthur called, glancing briefly over his shoulder to where his friend was walking annoyingly slowly, obviously intending to wind Arthur up.

"Can't you just tell me here?"

"_No! _Don't question your king_, Mer_lin!_"_

"Prat," Merlin muttered.

"I heard that!" said Arthur, wondering why he was even bothering to be kind to Merlin in the first place. "Just because you're in a bad mood doesn't mean you should take it out on me!"

Merlin didn't reply, and they reached Arthur's chambers in silence. As soon as they were both inside, Merlin turned to Arthur and said, "So what's this about then?"

"_Well,"_ said Arthur with an exaggerated sigh, "you're going to like what I have to say. But I can promise you that I _don't."_

Merlin's frown was instantly replaced with a wide smile. "I like the sound of that!"

"Thanks," said Arthur sarcastically. "Anyway, remember that servant, George?"

Merlin nodded. "Is he replacing me?"

"No!" said Arthur in horror, shuddering at the mere thought of having George as a permanent manservant. "However, I decided that he should come and work for me for a few weeks, as my father often used to tell me that it was important not to always have the same servant, because then you'll end up getting sick of them and possibly kill them." He hoped this was believable – he had searched long and hard for a good excuse, and this had been the best he could come up with.

"Oh," said Merlin blankly. "Well, yes, I can see why you might need to have a different servant; it would be quite bad luck for me if you decided to kill me…"

"Merlin," said Arthur, cutting smoothly through his babbling, "you don't have to stay in Camelot either, if you don't want to. You can go and, you know, see your mother or whatever it is you want to do…"

Merlin's mouth fell open. "You're…letting me go wherever I want?"

"Only because I have to change manservant!" said Arthur quickly. "And it will be for two weeks, no longer."

A look of suspicion crossed Merlin's face. "Wait a minute, something's going on, isn't it? You're trying to get me out of Camelot – you're planning something when I'm away-"

"I assure you I'm not!" said Arthur sharply. "But you can stay here if you'd rather. It doesn't bother me where you go." He shrugged carelessly, hoping it didn't look too forced.

"No!" said Merlin at once. "I'll go. Thank you Arthur," he added.

"Trust me, I'm not letting you go away because I want to give you a fortnight off," said Arthur feverishly.

"Well, thanks anyway," said Merlin, beaming. "Can I go now?"

Arthur nodded, and his face broke into a smile as Merlin raced out of the room.

Xxx

Merlin continued to jabber away excitedly to Arthur, who attempted to hide the smile that he found almost impossible to keep off his face. After two weeks with the boring, irritating George, it was a relief to finally have Merlin back, not that he would ever _tell _him that of course.

"Well, it certainly sounds as though you enjoyed seeing your mother and your friends," he managed to say, as Merlin paused for breath.

"Yes, I did. How were your two weeks with George?" Merlin added.

Arthur groaned. "All I can say is; never again. I even prefer _you_ to George, and that's saying something."

"Nice to know I'm loved," Merlin grinned.

Arthur's only answer was, "you wish!" However, looking at the bright smile on his best friend's face, he found that he didn't regret letting him go and see his mother, even if it meant that his last two weeks had been the worst fortnight imaginable.

**A/N: Hope you liked it :) Thank you for the reviews, it's really encouraging to know that people are reading this!**


	4. Chapter Four

Arthur shivered in the cool air and drew both his blankets around him more tightly. As thick and warm as they were, they were rather useless when up against the freezing conditions of the forest. He heard Merlin sigh heavily beside him and shift into a more comfortable position on the forest floor.

Although Arthur hated to admit it, he was starting to regret ever going on this hunting trip in the first place (and dragging Merlin along with him) as he imagined his own, warm bed.

"This is ridiculous," he heard Merlin mutter, sitting up and throwing his blanket off him. "Are you awake, Arthur?"

"Yes," Arthur replied wearily.

"We're _never_ going to get to sleep! Honestly Arthur, if we freeze to death, it will be your fault-"

"Stop being such a girl!" said Arthur scornfully, imitating Merlin and pushing himself into a sitting position. "It's only a little bit cold, it's nothing you can't handle."

Although Arthur couldn't see him through the dark, he imagined Merlin rolling his eyes. "Prat."

"Is that the only word you know?" said Arthur, torn between amusement and exasperation.

"Clotpole!" said Merlin helpfully.

"Idiot," Arthur muttered. He settled back down, huddling under both his blankets. "Come on, we need to get some sleep."

Merlin stood up. "I'm going to get a drink of water from that stream we passed earlier. It's not far from here."

"Be careful you don't get lost," Arthur warned. "You're not the brightest, and it's easy for idiots to get lost in dark forests…"

Merlin promptly threw his blanket at Arthur before running off, calling over his shoulder, "Is that the only word you know?"

Arthur smiled and shook his head, picking up Merlin's blanket from the ground. His smile was replaced by a frown as felt a large hole in the corner of it. Sliding his hands over the thin cloth, which was basically all it was, he could feel many other small holes and tears, and several loose threads were hanging from it.

Comparing it to his two, heavy blankets, Arthur felt a small pang of guilt. Merlin probably _would_ freeze to death if he slept under this for a whole night. Coming to a sudden decision, Arthur stood up and made his way over to a large clump of bushes, praying that Merlin wouldn't return. He hoped he was heading in the right direction, as he remembered seeing them earlier but couldn't recall their exact position, only that they were somewhere roughly around here.

He tentatively reached out a hand and withdrew it almost immediately, wincing in pain. He had stuck it straight into a prickly bush. Swearing under his breath, Arthur buried the blanket underneath the bush and turned away, hurrying back to his bed, if he could call it that. It was more a pile of blankets.

Arthur had only just sat down when Merlin returned from the stream, heading over to him and collapsing onto the ground with a loud groan. Arthur watched as he felt around on the ground for a few seconds, before sighing heavily.

"Arthur, where have you put my blanket?"

"Nowhere!" said Arthur, pretending to sound surprised. "It must have been blown away by the wind – it's so small I didn't notice it."

"Great," said Merlin glumly. "Just great."

"Well, what does it matter?" said Arthur. "I mean, it was just a moth-eaten rag, wasn't it?"

He could feel Merlin's glare and winced, this time in discomfort. "It may not be in the greatest condition," said Merlin in a carefully controlled voice, "but it's all I have to sleep under! What am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, it looks like you'll have to have one of my blankets, doesn't it?" said Arthur, in a tone of resignation.

Merlin snorted. "Yeah, definitely."

Arthur handed him his warmest blanket, hoping Merlin didn't know that it was the best one out of the two. "I mean it. I don't want you to get a cold tomorrow, not when we're away from Camelot. You might as well have this."

"Thank you," said Merlin in surprise.

Arthur sighed. "Whatever you say. Night."

"Night!" Merlin replied brightly.

_I can live without two blankets for one night_, Arthur decided. _And giving Merlin my other blanket was worth it, as I'm preventing my best friend from getting ill!_

Leaving himself with this comforting thought, Arthur fell asleep.

**A/N: There will only be one more after this, although I don't actually know why I'm pointing that out, as you know from the title anyway. Oh well, hope you liked this one :)**


	5. Chapter Five

Arthur banged on Gaius's door, gritting his teeth in frustration when no one answered. He resisted the urge to kick the door down as he roared Gaius's name.

"_GAIUS? _Open this door at once!"

He felt a sting of guilt as he remembered that Gaius would most likely be with Merlin, probably giving him medicine to help him fight off his illness. It was that realisation which stopped him yelling for Gaius again, and he stood quietly until the door was eventually opened.

"Gaius!" Arthur exclaimed, rushing into the room. "How is he?"

"Not very well, I'm afraid, sire," Gaius replied, his face expressing surprise as he watched Arthur scan the room impatiently. "He'll be alright, of course, but it will take a few weeks before he is well enough to return to work."

Arthur nodded. "Where is he?"

Gaius pointed at a door in the corner of the room. "Through there."

Arthur hurried across the room and pushed open the door. He was met with the sight of Merlin lying in bed, apparently fast asleep.

"_Merlin!"_ Arthur hissed, but his friend didn't move. Arthur grabbed the nearest chair and placed it next to Merlin's bed, unsure why he wanted to stay when Merlin was clearly sleeping. However, he hated the thought of simply leaving to continue his day when his best friend was ill. He sat down and stared at the top of Merlin's head, barely visible underneath the blankets.

Merlin's hair looked damp with sweat and his forehead was pale. The rest of him was hidden under the copious amounts of covers. Arthur felt a sense of helplessness as Merlin rolled over in his sleep, mumbling something, his face screwed up in pain.

"Is everything alright, sire?" Arthur heard Gaius ask from behind him. He glanced round to where Gaius was closing the door, a bottle of medicine in his hand.

"He was sleeping up until now, but he's just began to stir," said Arthur, gesturing to where Merlin was now tossing and turning.

Gaius nodded, stepping forward. "I'll give him some of this."

"Is there anything I can do?" said Arthur, feeling a sense of shame that he was being so obvious about his concern for the servant. He could only hope Gaius wouldn't tell Merlin about it when he was feeling better.

"Nothing, I'm afraid," said Gaius, smiling at him with a hint of sympathy in his eyes.

"Well, is there anything he'd like?" said Arthur, trying not to convey the desperation he felt at these words. He couldn't help feeling useless as he watched Gaius unscrewing the top of the bottle. "Any food or anything?"

Gaius shook his head. "He can't eat anything now, not when he's like this. It's a very kind offer though, thank you sire."

"I could bring something here for him to eat when he gets better!" said Arthur hopefully.

"You could," Gaius began, "but don't feel you have to-"

Arthur ran out of the room, not bothering to listen to what Gaius had to say. He knew that Merlin's favourite food was honey cakes, although he had told Arthur the other week that he hardly ever ate them. Arthur could understand why, as they were the kind of food only nobles ate, like Arthur himself.

Arthur found a nearby servant and ordered a couple of large honey cakes to be brought to Gaius. As the servant scurried off, he heard a cough from behind him.

"Sire?"

Arthur swung round and found himself face to face with Gwaine. "What?"

Gwaine grinned. "You forgot about the meeting. It started a couple of minutes ago."

Arthur groaned. "Brilliant."

"I can tell them you're busy-" began Gwaine hopefully, but Arthur shook his head at once.

"No, I'm coming."

Gwaine looked disappointed. "If you have to."

Xxx

The meeting took a couple of hours, and Arthur felt increasingly impatient with every second that passed. As soon as it was finished, he rushed in the direction of Gaius's chambers, banging on the door.

Gaius opened the door almost at once. "It's nice to see you again, sire."

"Did you get the honey cakes?" said Arthur anxiously.

Gaius nodded. "Thank you for sending them to Merlin, sire."

"Has he been able to eat them yet?"

Gaius smiled. "He's managed to take a couple of bites from one of them."

"Can I see him?" said Arthur, coming further into the room.

"Of course, sire," Gaius replied.

Arthur pushed open the door and couldn't hold back the smile as he saw Merlin lying in bed with a faint smile on his face which widened as he caught sight of Arthur.

"Arthur, thank you for the-" he began to croak.

"Think nothing of it," said Arthur quickly. "It was Gaius who suggested it."

Merlin looked as though he had the urge to laugh. "Well, thank you anyway."

"No problem," Arthur replied, shrugging offhandedly. "So, are you feeling better now?"

"A bit," said Merlin hoarsely. "I'll be back to work in a few weeks, not that you'd be pleased to hear that."

Arthur laughed. "I'll live."

Merlin reached a hand out to the plate of honey cakes next to him. "These are really nice!"

Arthur watched Merlin take a small bite from one of the cakes, and decided that being kind to other people wasn't so hard after all.

**A/N: So that's the end of this fic – thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Although this fic is finished, I'm probably going to write more Merlin/Arthur bromance fics sometime in the future, so you can read them if you wanted this fic to continue! :)**


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